Lanterns - Enterprise Edition

When I found out that Wil Wheaton was coming to the Vancouver Fan Expo this year I decided I wanted to build the Enterprise as a lantern... I'd thought about it for a few years, and this seemed like a good excuse to actually build it... the only problem was that I was in the middle of GISH and already deep in build a TARDIS Little Free Library mode. (More about that in another post.) So, while I wanted to build the lantern, I really didn't have the time... until 10 days before Fan Expo was set to begin, when I got the crazy notion to build it anyways.

ETA: George Takei has signed it!!

Thus began project #canidothisin10days (spoiler alert - no, I couldn't, but 11 days is not bad!). The following 11 days consisted of very little sleep, but I did get it built in time to bring it on the Sunday. In a last-minute decision fueled by a conversation with someone while we were waiting for Wil's Q&A to begin, I chose to have Wil sign it. It was a rather surreal experience, fueled by sleep deprivation and anxiety, where I was basically incapable of normal dialogue. Luckily, I had written out what I wanted to say to Wil that morning, and was able to give it to him. I got confirmation later that he did read it, and now any time I feel like something I have made or written doesn't matter, I'll look at that screenshot to remind me that it does.

After Fan Expo I was unhappy with the proportions of the saucer compared to the rest of the ship, so I did some emergency surgery on the Enterprise and retrofitted her with a larger saucer. I was careful not to go near the area that Wil signed, and that is still safe and in tact.

ETA: George Takei was at FanExpo this spring, and while I apologized that it was "the wrong Enterprise" he signed it and was extremely supportive and kind.

There are more pics on my instagram @Tortoisefly.